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Rutherford District News
Volume XVI Issue IV
The Newsletter of the Rutherford Board of Education
June 2015
Students Earn Top Academic
Honors In The Class Of 2015
A
mong the many talented seniors
in this year’s graduating class,
two have earned the highest academic
averages. Named valedictorian was
Fernanda Fernandez, with Jemi Patel as
salutatorian.
Both students are members of
the National Honor Society and the
French National Honor Society. They
have been active in their school and
community in a number of ways and
have received many academic awards
during their years at RHS.
Fernanda was selected as a National Hispanic Recognition Program
Scholar last fall. At RHS she has been
involved with the Math Team,
Interact, and Select Choir. She also
participated in athletics as a member of the cross-country, winter
track, and spring track teams.
Fernanda will be attending
Princeton University in the fall to
study neuroscience.
Jemi moved to Rutherford as a
From left to right:
Superintendent John Hurley, Valedictorian
sophomore. A member of several
Fernanda Fernandez, Salutatorian Jemi Patel
school organizations, she attended
and RHS principal Frank Morano
a Mini-Med program at Rutgers
in the fall, volunteered for three
years at the Liberty Science Center, and
Jemi will enroll in Temple
this year volunteered at Meadowlands
University in the fall. She, too, will
Hospital as well.
study neuroscience.
District Moving Ahead With Planning
For The Future
A
t a well-attended community
forum in late May, residents had
the opportunity to hear first-hand
about proposed plans for the district
schools and then to comment and
offer suggestions on both the realignment of the schools and the introduction of the blended curriculum.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Hurley was pleased that the planning for
both initiatives was well-received, and
he welcomed the positive response
from those who attended.
The first option for reorganization is to convert Washington, Pierrepont, and Lincoln schools into buildings for children in grades 1-6, with
Union School serving as a middle
school for grades 7 and 8. Based on
questions from parents at the meeting, a second option is being developed, which would house grades 1-3
at Washington and Lincoln, grades
4-6 at Pierrepont, and grades 7 and 8
in Union School. The Kindergarten
Center and the high school remain as
they are under both options.
While the first option involves
fewer school changes for students,
the second option encourages more
attention to the academic, social,
cultural, and developmental needs
of smaller age ranges of children.
There would also be less need for
changes in facilities at Lincoln and
Washington to acceptably house older
students. Neither plan requires additional construction.
A second community meeting
will be held in the early fall. A more
detailed study is now underway, with
tentative plans to make a recommendation to the Board of Education by
October.
The introduction of the blended
curriculum was also a topic at the
forum. Charles Ryan, supervisor of
social studies and world languages,
explained the process for integrating
technology into the curriculum, not as
an add-on, but as a vital and necessary
component for instruction. Stressing
the need for this change, Mr. Ryan emphasized that the district is not “leaping into this,” but rather moving at an
appropriate pace.
(Continued on Page 3)
Page 2
Students Involved In Community Service
W
hether involved in charitable
fund-raising events or reaching
out to people around them, Rutherford students learn early the value and
importance of community outreach.
So much is done by so many that it
isn’t possible to include all of the
students’ contributions. A sample of
their activities will give a good sense
of what has been accomplished this
year.
Participants included: Vincent Plessel
and David Kim, along with club advisor
Ms. Bonnie Donnell.
The Rutherford Food Pantry always
receives strong support from students
throughout the district. This year, for
instance, members of the RHS Interact Club collected more than 2,500
bags of food through food drives
at Shop-Rite. Another high school
group, the Amnesty International
Club, made more than 2,000 sandwiches throughout the year for donation to Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen
in New Brunswick.
Students also took part in the
Relay for Life, an organized, overnight
community walk to benefit the American Cancer Society. Approximately 21
teams made up of 200 RHS students
participated and raised funds this year.
The “Soul Saviors,” a 7th grade group
from Pierrepont School, raised more
than $1,000 in the Relay.
For the past three years “Pierrepont’s Pride,” a team of staff members, raised over $14,000 in the Relay.
Students provided strong support by
purchasing paper links on which they
wrote inspirational messages. The final chain had more than 300 links and
lined the school’s corridors. A “Purple
From front to Back, Left to Right:
Mary Elena Chaimowicz and Jade Gibson
Sophia Panella, Jasmine Alzaza and
Katelyn Sullivan
Casey Beidel and Brianna Rodriguez
Jennifer Netelkos, Sarah McGowan and
Delaney Manning
Out” day in May gave students a
chance to recognize the event. Gifted
and Talented students sold copies of a
student-published newspaper to raise
additional funds.
Pierrepont School also continued
its long-time tradition of “Silver Bells,”
an activity that provides holiday gifts
for needy families. Through “Pennies
for Patients” students and their families donated spare change, cash, and
The Student Council at RHS
supported the Tomorrows Children’s
Fund through three fund-raisers:
“Jeans Day,” “Spare Change Day,” and
for the first time a spring “Pickle Ball
Contest.”
Meanwhile, Union School students
participated in “Pasta 4 Pennies,” an
event sponsored by Olive Garden.
They raised more than $1,000 for the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Youngsters at Washington School
enjoyed their annual “Hoops and
Goals” day to benefit two separate
charities: Alexa’s Superhero Fund and
the Alex Ortega Foundation.
Not all student outreach involves
fund-raising. The entire Lincoln
School and the children at the Kindergarten Center took part in the Great
Kindness Challenge Week, performing
random acts of kindness throughout
the community. These busy children
also collected hats, mittens, and baby
blankets for a shelter and wrote letters
to our troops---certainly a treat for
those who received them.
The high school Interact Club
sponsored its spring Senior Citizen
Prom for more than sixty guests.
Reports are that at least fifty student
volunteers “danced the night away”
with the senior citizens---a good time
for all!
(Continued on Page 3)
Pasta 4 Pennies
Seated on the left: Hyungjun Jun, Luke
Marron, Philip Chiaviello, Bridget Sullivan, Joy Botros, Sidharth Sidharth, Ava
Porter, Nyaki Kanefu, Dana Serea, Jillian
Biondolillo and Oliva Smith.
Seated on the right: Daniel Espinal, Haris
Mulic, Josh Khalil, James Ernst, Patrick
Cerulli, Harmony Marquez, Chloe Burke,
Janice Park and Andrea Bozza-Caballero
checks to benefit the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society to raise awareness
for children with blood cancer.
From left to right:
Ayme Silva, Diego Miguen, Myriam
Imessoudene, Amanda Carvalho, Zachary Campbell, Nicholas DiBrita, Gladys
Silva, Ankit Abbi, Charles Tran and
Alexandra Cabellero
Page 3
Retirees Leave With Gratitude Of
Entire Community
E
ight Rutherford staff members
are moving on from the Rutherford schools to the exciting world of
retirement. Just as graduating seniors
look back at their school days, so do
these talented men and women who
have touched the lives of hundreds of
students and their families. Here are
some of their memories.
JANE CHADWICK served first as a
school volunteer and then for 21 years
as a teaching assistant. “The thrill of
watching children achieve academic
success is beyond measure,” she says.
One special memory was seeing a student she worked with for seven years
graduate in the top ten of his 8th grade
class.
KENNETH BERK has been a physical education teacher since 1988, most
recently at RHS. He sums up his career in two words: “life changing.” He
feels fortunate to have enjoyed a rich
professional life, while changing the
lives of others along the way.
MARY FRANCES CALOCINO has
had a varied career since joining the
district in 1980---teaching 7th and 8th
grade reading, grade 2, and then serving as media specialist at Pierrepont,
where she helped automate the library,
dressed up as the Cat in the Hat, and
knew just which book to recommend
to a child.
TONY BUCCO has taught 8th grade
English, reading, and drama for 28
years at Pierrepont School. In his
career he has come to know “the most
dedicated and talented teachers anywhere,” he says. His students and their
parents are some of “the most truly
remarkable people” who have made
him a better person.
NANCY KENNY, high school English teacher, is also completing her
careers this year.
JOAN GISMOND joined the Union
School staff in 1988, where she taught
English and reading. One of her fondest memories is of the school’s Centennial Celebration. Each grade dressed
in the costume of a specific decade and
performed a song and dance number.
Her class celebrated the 1940s with its
own rendition of “The Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boys from Company B!”
DIANA HECKING, spent 43 years
as an art teacher, first commuting
between four schools with her car’s
trunk as her office before settling in at
Pierrepont School. She fondly remembers the first time she completed a
demonstration for a class of second
graders—and they burst into applause.
Always a quick thinker, she responded
by bowing and saying, “And you can
do this, too.”
Students, parents, and the entire Rutherford community
wish these talented educators well as they begin a new stage
in their lives.
Community Service . . .
District Moving Ahead . . .
Washington School continues its
tradition of sponsoring a Multi-Cultural Day. This year they celebrated
the school’s families of Albania heritage. The day began
with an all-school assembly prepared by the
Albanian students and
parents focusing on the
history and geography
of their native country.
The day was a rich festival full of music, dance, costumes,
foods, and games, all designed to
foster interaction and understanding
between two cultures.
Questions from parents involved the
use of different devices to deliver the
curriculum, among other issues. Their
response was positive, and the district will
now move ahead with its planning, which
includes a pilot program that can be evaluated before further advances are made.
Other issues to be faced include longterm financing, in-depth teacher training,
and the availability of grants as a source
of funding. Mr. Ryan sees this as a longterm project that can be fully implemented
by 2020.
“Change always involves challenges,”
says Mr. Hurley, ‘but when managed carefully, change can be positive and exciting.”
(Continued from Page 2)
Washington School students
also reached out to military veterans on the Friday before Memorial
Day, with the children paying tribute to their guests through
song, dance, and a solemn
tribute to the flag.
This 8th annual
celebration drew more
than thirty veterans to the
school.
In all these ways,
Rutherford students learn the value
of becoming part of a community
and giving back to it in return for
the opportunities they have.
(Continued from Page 1)
Children Learn As They “Discover”
At Washington School
Standing next to Mr. Ajala is Dain Lee
and Charles Hirst. The boy launching the
rocket is second grader Jack Mazone
F
or the past four years Washington
School has celebrated Discovery Day, described by principal Bill
Mulcahy as “a day of adventure and
expanded learning.”
The theme for this year’s all-school
event was S.T.E.M.---science, technology, engineering, and math. The day
was planned by second grade teachers
Megan Joyce and Rachel Mejias, who
are the teacher representatives to the
P.T.A., with the assistance of parents
Mamata Prabhu and Hemant Patel.
Students rotated among workshops, classroom activities, and learning centers in several locations. There
was a Magic of Science Show, a Mad
Science Chemistry Lab, and a planetarium in the multi-purpose room---a
big hit with everyone! Students were
challenged to build a power tower and
to float an aluminum foil boat holding as many pennies as possible. Each
student received a special S.T.E.M.
bag filled with materials needed for
classroom activities. Mad Science of
Bergen County presented an assembly
for the entire school at the end of the
day.
2014-2015 SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS
Congratulations to All!
KINDERGARTEN CENTER
Lorraine DeCaprio........................................... Teacher
UNION SCHOOL
Carolyn Griffiths.............................Teacher Assistant
Ann Hetzel........................................................Grade 7
John Kowal........................................ Head Custodian
PIERREPONT SCHOOL
Connie DeFazio....................................... Vocal Music
Margaret MacFayden-Doty.............................Grade 7
Toni Murphy.....................................................Grade 4
RUTHERFORD HIGH SCHOOL
Michael Moore.............................................Custodian
Roberta Perez................................ Attendance Office
Gloria Sampedro............................. World Languages
Paul Scutti......................................................Counselor
Leonard Williams.........Family & Consumer Science
Page 4
One workshop was conducted by
seventeen students from the high school
Physics Club. Visiting each classroom,
these enthusiastic students explained
Newton’s Law and built straw rockets
with the younger children. Ms. Joyce described the RHS visitors as “professional,
friendly, patient, and knowledgeable,”
observing that they seemed to be having
just as much fun as her second-graders.
Under the direction of high school
teacher Tim Ajala, the older students
demonstrated the use of air pressure to
launch rockets made of straw, showing
the Washington students how to design
and weigh their rockets. There was lots
of excitement at the launchings!
Hopefully, all of these experiences
will help encourage student interest in
S.T.E.M. activities and courses when they
reach the high school themselves. This
action-filled Discovery Day was perfectly
designed for the curious minds of young
children.
Administration
Mr. Jack Hurley
Superintendent of Schools
Joseph P. Kelly
Business Administrator/Board Secretary
Board of Education
Gary Novosielski, President
Kevin McLean, Vice President
Shelly Ahmed
Diane Jones
Steven Arce
Mary Lanni
Keith Kyongyup Chu Sally Librera
Greg Recine